Minot Police promote, award

Kim Fundingsland

Staff Writer

kfundingsland@minotdailynews.com

Kim Fundingsland/MDN
Senior Officer Greg Johnson, left, receives his promotion to the rank of sergeant from Minot Police Chief Jason Olson during a ceremony at City Hall Wednesday.

Honors were handed out by the Minot Police Department during a brief ceremony held at City Hall late Wednesday.

Police Chief Jason Olson announced the promotion of Senior Officer Greg Johnson to the rank of sergeant. Olson said Johnson “rose to the top” of three candidates considered for the promotion. Johnson will be assigned to night patrol.

Senior Officer Ross Lakoduk was recognized as the department’s 2017 Outstanding Police Officer. Lakoduk joined Minot Police in 2012 and was promoted to senior officer in 2016. He recently was appointed to serve on the Ward County Narcotics Task Force as an investigator. He also serves on the Minot Police Department SWAT team.

His nomination letter stated that Lakoduk “is always motivating those around him and teaching new things to other officers” and that Lakoduk “is a great representative of the Minot Police Department.”

The 2017 Outstanding Police Employee Award was given to Sean Christie, lead dispatcher. Christie has been working for Central Dispatch since 2013.

Olson read from Christie’s nomination letter which called Christie “an invaluable asset to the department” and stated that Christie “has an awesome attitude and inspires confidence in those he is dispatching that he is getting the right information from the caller and transferring that information to the officers in the field.”

Several Minot Police came to the aid of law enforcement in Morton County during the Dakota Access Pipeline protest. Olson recognized their commitment and displayed a plaque of appreciation the department had received from the Morton County Sheriff’s Department.